Osprey arrivals to Okinawa ‘on track’

The arrival of ten additional MV-22 Osprey to Okinawa is under way, a temporary halt in the aftermath of the crash of a U.S. Air Force helicopter.

The Marines informed the central government in Tokyo it is continuing with plans for bring an additional ten tilt-rotor Ospreys to the island. That process began on Monday, with the hybrid aircraft destined for Futenma Marine Corps Air Station. The arrivals were slated for this week, but were put on hold following the fatal crash of the HH-60 Pave Hawk chopper on Camp Hansen little more than a week ago.

The ten tilt-rotor Ospreys are traveling from Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, to Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, where they will join two MV-22s that arrived at the base earlier. They’re part of the second squadron being assigned to Okinawa. A dozen from another squadron were deployed here last summer.

The U.S. military hopes to complete the transfers within the next few days, but a spokesman says the plan could be slowed by continued opposition to the Osprey, which protesters say has a mixed safety record.